Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien held his press conference this morning for the express purpose of dispelling rumors that we covered here last night. Approaching the matter directly, as has been his style all along, he declared that although he had conversations with a couple of NFL teams, he never asked for a raise, and furthermore, he has great respect for Penn State as an institution of higher learning and for his bosses, Rod Erickson and Dave Joyner.
So there, whiners! Do you believe it now, coming from the horse’s mouth, or are you going to continue to waste your time generating unfounded rumors purportedly in support of the man, which actually serve to denigrate his position and impugn his integrity? You “success at all costs” schmuckos are the problem. You’re what we need to get rid of before we even think of making personnel changes at Penn State. You’ve got way too much time on your hands, you have no idea what the hell you’re talking about, and you suck. And that’s just the message board pseudo-wonks. The credentialed media weenies add yet another layer of institutionalized bullshit.
Only one cup of coffee this morning while watching BoB’s presser, so I’m not as cranked up as I should be. But don’t stop me — I’m on a roll.
O’Brien clearly stated that he never asked for a raise anywhere, exhorting the assemblage of media representatives to ask Bill Belichick, Ted Roof, George O’Leary, and others if he had ever done so. Later, he said that if someone offered him a raise six months down the road, he’d take it, but with respect to using the NFL “offers” to leverage a raise, he declared that rumor “a bunch of malarkey.”
When asked if “anyone” had made a donation specifically aimed at increasing his salary, he brusquely replied, “No!” It has been widely reported that major booster Terry Pegula had committed $1.3 million to the Penn State athletic program to boost O’Brien’s salary in the interest of retaining him, in view of the NFL “offers.”
As for the NFL discussions, O’Brien stated several times that coaching in the NFL is the pinnacle of his profession, implying that eventually, he wants to wind up there. Each time, however, he added that he is fully committed to coaching at Penn State in 2013, and that he and his family love Penn State, the team, and the community. O’Brien admitted that his representative received expressions of interest from the NFL, and that he had conversations, but that is as far as it went.
O’Brien expressed complete faith in Rod Erickson and Dave Joyner, dismissing suggestions that he had made demands about making personnel changes above his station in the Penn State hierarchy. This turkey hopes that makes everyone happy — particularly those morons who would put Joyner in front of a firing squad just because they think that would be what it takes to retain O’Brien.
The coach was vague about what happens beyond next year. All he was willing to offer was that he won’t be coaching at Penn State 50 years from now. He sees himself coaching another 20 years, presumably some of those years in the NFL.
The subject moved on to recruiting, about which O’Brien couldn’t say much because of NCAA regulations. He wouldn’t get into the issue of Adam Breneman’s recovery.
He also demurred on the subject of Governor Tom Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA. I suppose the question had to be asked, but does any reporter in his or her right mind thing that O’Brien would have anything to say about that? I suppose they can make a big deal out of his refusal to talk about it now, and perhaps read something salacious into that.
On the football front, when asked if there were any academic eligibility issues with the team, O’Brien would only state that Curtis Dukes will not be with the team this year.
Internet message boards and mailing lists continue to serve a purpose, but folks, you have to apply the bullshit filter continuously when reading the unsubstantiated drivel that is flung about there. I’m not throwing stones. I believe that a lot of my reportage here is sloppy and poorly researched. However, when I am not sure about something, I flat-out state that it’s my opinion and you can take it or leave it. Misinformation abounds on the Internet, and we are all guilty of propagating unfounded rumors from time to time. These things develop legs of their own, and when they achieve a critical mass — go viral, so to speak — hysteria like last night is the result.
I hope we now can all move on to more productive channels. Leave the wild-ass rumors to David Jones and company, whose horse squeeze this turkey will continue to view with a very jaundiced eye.
Full transcript of the press conference at gopsusports.com.
